REPORTS SHOW HUGE ECONOMIC BENEFIT TO RURAL AREAS AND THE NATION
As both motorized and non-motorized recreation organizations engage in the 2025 state and federal legislative season, it’s important to remember
the good fiscal news they got last year when the U.S. Department of Commerce’s
Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) found that outdoor recreation continues to provide
a significant fiscal benefit to the U.S. economy. According to the latest data
from the BEA Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account, outdoor recreation generated
$1.2 trillion in economic output (2.3% of GDP), comprises 3.1% of U.S.
employees and accounted for 5 million jobs in 2023.
BEA 2024 REPORT
https://www.bea.gov/sites/default/files/2024-11/orsa1124_0.pdf
Fiscal contributions made by the powersports community were presented at the August 1, 2024 CA State Parks Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Commission meeting that highlighted the initial results of a multiyear study the
economic impacts of OHV and OSV recreation in California. That preliminary report authored by Samuel
Lankford - a professor at California State University, Fresno – detailed data gathered
in over 2,500 in-person surveys. The
study showed that OHV and OSV recreation
provides a $10 billion economic impact to the state and supports approximately
58,000 permanent, temporary, and seasonal jobs and generates $1.8 billion in
tax revenues. A final report is expected in early 2025.
The study also included the economic impact of permitted motorized
special events that occur mostly at destination OHV areas managed by the Forest
Service, BLM, and CA State Parks. Some of the larger events include vehicle use
on the Rubicon Trail at $57.4 million and the King of Hammers at $34 million.
One prime local example of where those motorized-related economic
benefits are generated is at BLM’s Chappie Shasta OHV Area located next to Lake
Shasta about 15 minutes from Redding, CA. This destination unit provides access to over
250 miles of world class high quality routes that are open to dirt-bikes, ATVs,
SxSs, and 4 wheel-drives. The trail
system has a wide range of difficulty ratings from easy to black diamond. It also has a very challenging 4x4 obstacle
course at the main staging area along with a beginner play track.
The high country routes and the Bohemotash Mountain dry
camping area provide many multi-million dollar views of the Shasta Bally, Trinity
Alps, Marble Mountains, Mount Shasta, Mount Lassen, and Lake Shasta.
QWR President, Don Amador, states, “I am proud of the
partnership that exists between the OHV community and our partner land agencies
that work together to provide access to sustainable motorized trail opportunities
on public lands in the Western US at riding area like Chappie Shasta where
outdoor recreation brings a significant economic benefit to rural communities.”
“It is inspiring to see how the BLM recreation staff
worked with local OHV clubs and a post wildfire recovery non-profit - with grant
support from the CA Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division – to repair damage done by the devastating 2018 Carr Fire and promptly reopen the recreation
site to public use,” Amador concludes.
# # #
Don Amador has been in the trail advocacy and recreation management
profession for over 33 years. Don is President
of Quiet Warrior Racing LLC. Don serves as the Western States Representative
for the Motorcycle Industry Council. Don is Past President/CEO and current
board member of the Post Wildfire OHV Recovery Alliance. Don served as a
contractor to the BlueRibbon Coalition from 1996 until June, 2018. Don served
on the California Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Commission from
1994-2000. He has won numerous awards including being a 2016 Inductee into the Off-Road
Motorsports Hall of Fame and the 2018 Friend of the AMA Award. Don served as the
government affairs lead for AMA District 36 in Northern California from 2019 –
2023. Don is a Core-Team member on FireScape Mendocino. Don is a contributor to Dealernews Magazine.
Don writes from his home in Cottonwood, CA.
